Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-07
fSHE4 !,
,N.HiStorz' of: Hd2eNture
: By J. RIDER HAaaARD.
CHAPTER Kill

lYTT CHAPTER XIII. ~
AYEsHA UNVEILS.
~There,n she said, "ho has gone, tho white
bearded old fool All, how little knowledge
does man acquire In his lifei Ho gathers itup
like water, but, like wator, 1t runneth through
his fingers; and yot II his hands DO but wet as
though with dow, behold generation OF
fools call out: SEQ, he is n wise man. Is IL
not sol But how call they theoi 'Baboon,
he says" and she laughed; "but this is the
fashion Of these savages, who lack imagina-
ton and fly to the beasts they resemble Tor
name. How do they call thee In thine own
country, strangerP
"They call me Holly, oh queen" an
swered
a'Holly,'" She answered. speaking the
word with difficulty, and yet with most
charming accent, Sand what is 'HollyP
a'Holly' is prickly tree" said
$50 Well, thou hast prickly and yet
tree like look. Strong art thou, and ugly,
but, il my wisdom be not at fault, honest at
the core, and a staff to lean on. Also one
who thinks But stay, Holly, stand not therei
enter with me and be seated by me. would
not see thee crawl before mo like those slaves
am a-weary OF their worship and their tor
ror; sometimes when they vex me l coub
blast them for very sport, and to see the rest
turn white, even to the heart;" and She held
the curtain aside with her ivory hand TO let
me PASS in.
entered, shuddering. This woman was
very terrible Within was recess about
twelve feet by ten. and In the recess was
couch. and a table whereon stood fruit and
sparkling water. By 1t ut its end was yes
sci like a font cut In carved stone, also full OF
puro water The place was softly Lit with
lamps formed out Of tho beautiful vessels OF
which have spoken, and the air and cur
tains were full of subtle perfume. Perfume,
too, seomed 10 emanate from the glorious
hair and white cllnging vestments OF She her.
self / entered the little room, and there
stood uncertain.
'Sit," said She, pointing to the couch. AT
present thou hast no cause TO fear me. II thou
hast cause thou shalt not fear for long, for
shall slay thee. Therefore let thy heart DO
light"
/ sat down on the end Of the couch near
to the font like basin Of water, and She sunk
down softly on to the other end
"Now, Holly she said, show contest thou
to speak Arabici 1t is mine own dear tongue,
for Arabian am by birth. Yet dost thou
not speak II as we used TO speak. Some OF the
words seem changed, even as among these
men. Tho Amahagger have debased and de-
filed its purity, 80 that have to talk to them
in what Is to mo another tongue"
~ have studied itIn | answered, "for many
years The Language is spoken in Egypt and
elsewhere
80 it Is still spoken, and there Is yet an
Egypt And what Pharaoh sits upon tue
throneI Still one OF the spawn of the Persian
Ochus, or arc the Archemenians gonep
"The Persians have been gone from Egypt
for nigh 1000 years. and since then the Pto-
lemys, the Romans and many others, have
fourished and held sway upon the Nile, and
fallen when their time was ripe" said,
aghast. "What canst thou know OF the Per-
sian Artaxerxesf"
She laughed and made no answer, and
again n cold chill went through me. sand
Greece she said, ais there still a Greecel All,
loved the Greeks Beautiful were they as
tho dag, and clever. but fierce at heart and
ncklo, notwithstanding.
ayes" said, "there Is a Greece, ind just
now Is 1t once more people. Yet the Greeks
of to day aro not what the Greeks Of the old
timo were, and Greece herself Is but a mockery
Of the Greece that wasH
$50 The Hebrews, are they yet at Jerusa-
lemi And does tho temple that the wigo king
built standi And II so, what God do they wor-
ship therelni Is their Messiah come, OF whom
they talked 20 much, md does He rule the
earthr
@The Jews are broken and gone, and the
fragments of their people strew tho world,
and Jerusalem is no more As for tho temple
1T ~ hill
aHerodP she said Il know not Herod.
But go on"
aTRe Romans burned it, and the Roman
eagles flew across its ruins
$50, sol They were great people, those
Romans, and went straight TO their end-ny,
they sped to 1t like Fate, or like their owl
eagles on their prey-and left peace behind
Them
aSolltudincm fnciunt. pacem appellant"
suggested.
aAh, thou canst speak the Latin tongue
too she said in surprise. at hath a strange
ring In my ears after all these days, and IL
seems to me thy accent does not fall as the
Romans put it. Who was 1t wrote thatl
know not tho saying, but 1t is n true one OF
that great people 1t seems that have met
a learned mnn-one whose hands have held
tho water OF the worlds knowledge. Knowas
thou Greek, alsoP
ayes, oh, queen, and something of Hebrew
but not to speak them. They are all deat
languages now"
She clapped her hands in childish gleo.
aOf truth, ugly tree that thou art, tho,
growest tho fruits Of wisdom, oh, Holly" sh'
said aBut Of those Jews, whom hated, fo
they called me heather, when would hav'
taught them philosophy. Did their Messiah
come, and doth He rule the world"
aTheir Messiah came" ! answered with
reverence, abut he came poor and lowly, ant
they would have none Of him. They
scourged him, and crucifled him upon 4
tree, but yet his words and his works livt
on, for he was tho Son Of God, and now Of &
truth he rules half the world, but not with
nm empire Of the world"
,aAh, tho fierce hearted wolves" she said
Hthe followers OF sense, and OF many gods
greedy Of gain and faction tornl l can sex
their dark faces yet. So they cruci1ed theil
Messiah Well can believe III That ho wa
a son Of the living spirit would be naught u
them, II indeed no was SO, and Of that WI
will talk afterward. They would care naugh
for any god II he came not with pomp ant
power They, chosen people, a vessel o
him they called Jehovah, ay, and vessel o
Baal, and n vessel Of Astoreth, and vesse
Of the gods Of the Egyptians-a high stom
ached people, greedy Of aught that brought
them wealth and power. SO they cruciflet
their Messiah because he came In lowly guise
and now are they scattered about the earth
Why, II remember, 80 said one OF theil
prophets that II should be. Well, let then
go; they broke my heart, those Jews, and
made me look with evil eyes across tho world
ny, and drove me to this wilderness OF .
people that was before them. When would
have taught them wisdom In Jerusalem they
stoned mo; ny, at the gate Of the temple thos'
white bearded hypocrites and rabbis bounded
tho people on 20 stone mel See, here Is the
mark Of IL to this day." and with a sudder
move she pulled up the gauzy wrapping OF
her rounded arm and pointed TO little scaI
that showed red against It's milky beauty.
~ shrunk back Mortified. - ---- b..